Concentration poll proves distraction

Employers need to do more to ensure employees can concentrate in their remote working environments, workspace provider Regus has said.

It polled 3,000 professional men and women on how long they can focus in a distraction-free environment without a break. Among male respondents 1-2 hours was the most popular option chosen, with 41% citing this as their limit. By comparison, 37% of the women canvassed said they can concentrate for 2-3 hours, the most selected answer among females.

Celia Donne, vice president for global operations at Regus said: “Women often declare themselves to be more effective at multi-tasking, more organised and better able to focus than men. And although it’s amusing to see at least one of those stereotypes backed up by statistics, these findings do feed into a more serious conversation about the importance of a quiet, professional working environment for optimum productivity.

“As flexible working gains popularity, companies need to ensure that employees looking to function outside of the main office have access to a workspace that is conducive to efficiency. Working at home can bring a multitude of distractions and interruptions. Similarly, using other popular alternative locations such as coffee shops will often find workers repeatedly disturbed.”

Regus said using professional, flexible workspaces minimises distractions and this translates directly into productivity gains.